Historic political buttons taken in Jerusalem Twp.

11/20/2002

Burglars took $60,000 to $75,000 worth of historic political campaign buttons, including those of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, fro a Jerusalem Township home Monday, Lucas County sheriff's deputies said yesterday.

Wes Berger of the 7900 block of Corduroy Road said the burglars apparently entered the unoccupied house sometime before 6 p.m. through a back door left unlocked by a cleaning crew. The burglars took about 400 buttons from the 1860s to the 1960s, several of which were worth up to $5,000 each, barely missing two more valuable Abraham Lincoln buttons that were in a safe, Mr. Berger said.

Mr. Berger, who taught history in 1969 and 1970 in Toledo Public Schools and now is a Bedford Public Schools assistant principal, said he took up his hobby 26 years ago because of his interest in political history. His collection included many Bobby Kennedy pins from the 1968 presidential campaign, in which Mr. Berger was a volunteer, he said.

The collection is insured and the investigation is continuing.